When selling anything to anybody,
anywhere in the world, always ask yourself, "Does my ad, brochure,
billboard, window display, radio spot -- create excitement, generate
real news, and provide a reason to STOP everything right now and order
the product or service?"

Fundamentally, the job of the marketing
professional is to excite the potential buyers, to get them to pay
attention to his product or service message and not the other guy's.
Most marketing campaigns fail badly in the excitement category, and do
even worse in the creation of a compelling call to action.

The whole point of any promotion is to
be NOTICED and get a RESPONSE. The marketing industry spends $35
billion a month to grab consumer attention, just in the USA.

Will anyone really pay attention to one
more burger ad, one more beautiful older-looking couple seeking
financial security by walking hand in hand on a deserted beach, one
more gleaming auto isolated on a rain-slicked winding road in Monument
Valley?

How can you break out of the pack and
hit an emotional bull's-eye that compels your target consumer to single
out your brand and respond to your offer? How do you make this happen?

Take a look at the following stellar
campaigns, all of which demonstrate the power of integrating marketing
excitement, news value, and compelling calls to action.

The Ultimate Help-Wanted Ad

If pressed to pick my all-time favorite
ad, it would be one placed by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the famous
early-twentieth century polar explorer. In 1913, Shackleton placed a
very brief announcement in several London newspapers for volunteers for
his upcoming South Pole expedition. He hoped to attract fifty to
seventy-five inquiries. Five thousand hearty souls responded to:

All three elements for promotional
success: excitement, news, and a compelling call to action were wrapped
up in just twenty-six words. No need to add a single syllable.

The Early Days of Playboy
Magazine

In the early '50s, when I was 5 or 6,
it was impossible to figure out exactly what my dad did at work all
day. He was pretty vague about it and as it turned out, with good
reason. He was writing some of the very first promotional direct mail
letters for Hugh Hefner's then new and struggling publication, Playboy
magazine.

These letters would be sent to compiled
lists of men who subscribed to other men's magazines -- which of course
made sense. What was a little different was how my dad wrote these
letters . . . from the perspective of a Playboy Bunny. Each mailing
included a picture of her in full Bunny regalia. The picture appeared
on the letter, the reply device, and throughout the accompanying
brochure which included shots of her other Bunny pals. She even signed
her name.

Consequently, millions of American men
received letters in the mail from "a real live Playboy Bunny,"
describing the scintillating attributes of Playboy magazine:
great fiction, social commentary, and of course more revealing pictures
of her and her friends. This approach was way more successful than if
Hugh himself or some other male editor had written the letter --
because it was just much more EXCITING!

Rolling Stone Magazine

Back in the '70s, the notorious
anti-establishment, self-proclaimed gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson
was managing editor of Rolling Stone. He authored a
subscription renewal letter that was completely different from what any
other magazine had ever contemplated.

The letter, short and to the point,
declared that Rolling Stone was Thompson's only legitimate
source of income. It went on to say that if you didn't respond, he
would be thrown into utter despair and probably wind up in Needles,
California, "sucking from a nitric oxide tank down to the bottom death
blast of freon, listening to German tourists describe their coyote
sightings."

Basically, Thompson threatened the
recipient, demanding a response, or else. To underline the warning, the
outside envelope featured "I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE," scrawled in large
handwriting across the front. Not your everyday Time or Newsweek
renewal letter, to be sure.

This direct mail subscription effort
was a huge success, and Rolling Stone used it the entire time
Thompson was on the payroll. It was so much fun to read. So different.
So Hunter Thompson. So exciting.

Pan American WorldPass and How Last
Became First

By the time the late '70s rolled
around, the experience of flying had been downgraded from glamorous and
elite to mundane, overcrowded, and as torturous as a never-ending bus
trip. Yet flights were full of corporate executives and middle managers
winging their way across the country and around the world on a regular
basis. Working hard, making money, getting ahead, these were not happy
travelers.

Although the airlines reveled in their
popularity, they were also aware of the growing dissatisfaction of
their large bloc of business travelers. In a classic marketing moment,
several major airlines decided that their best customers deserved to be
singled out and rewarded for frequent travel. And thus, the frequent
flyer programs were born.

These programs were really exciting for
participants. At last, the airlines made a distinction between the
tourist and the trooper. Flying for free and upgrading to first class
were the big come-ons and frequent flyers went to great lengths to make
sure they stayed abreast of every new perk and bonus mile route. It is
important to understand what a big deal the frequent flyer programs
were at that time.

Working with a small team at Epsilon
Data Management, I helped United Airlines create Mileage Plus, one of
the first of these reward scenarios. Several years later, I was
fortunate enough to create the last entry of a major airline into this
new game: Pan American Airways' WorldPass, the richest of all the
frequent flyer programs.

According to airline industry analysts,
WorldPass probably contributed to Pan Am's ability to remain in
business for an additional decade. This is a story about creating
excitement and news value even when you are THE ABSOLUTE LAST business
in your sector to recognize your top clients.

By 1981, all the other major U.S.
carriers had well-developed frequent flyer programs, and Pan Am was
seeing the effect on their bottom line. So what to do? The company was
lucky to have a marketing director at the time, Adam Aron, who had
natural marketing instincts, flair, and an appreciation of the power of
big ideas.

The typical frequent flyer marketing
approach was not as generous as it appeared. At that time, the goal was
to spend as little as possible to communicate with your business
travelers, and to be as restrictive as possible in giving out award
travel for miles earned.

Adam had a different idea. His charge
to me was to create the most expensive-looking program with the richest
award structure. He wanted to leapfrog the competition -- all of which
had well-established programs and, in most cases, a four- to five-year
head start. Since Pan Am was the last to arrive at the dance, Adam was
determined his airline would be in the dress that everyone noticed.

The core promise of Pan Am's program
was to reward individuals who flew a specific number of miles on an
annual basis with a "world pass." This pass was an actual gold-colored
plastic card that entitled you and a companion to fly anywhere on Pan
Am's extensive worldwide system, first class, free for thirty days.

This strategy was a winner from day
one. No other airline even remotely had such an award, nor could any of
them match the worldwide route structure that Pan Am was famous for.
The effect was immediate. WorldPass electrified passengers, Pan Am
employees, and the trade press. Adam's focus on giving the customer
something that was truly exciting and "richer" than the competition
turned the whole industry inside out and left them scrambling to catch
up.

So last-in became first in frequent
flyers' minds. The initial direct mail enrollment package sent to
80,000 frequent flyers contained a free round-trip domestic ticket good
at any time within the next six months -- no blackout dates, no ifs,
ands, or buts other than the requirement to enroll in WorldPass.
Response rates to this one letter were more than 50 percent. Probably
an all-time high in direct mail history, with the exception of
responses to letters from the IRS!

Other Quick Airline Stories about
Creating Customer Excitement

American Airlines -- When you
joined the Admirals Club in the early '70s, you received an oversized
certificate done in calligraphy and beautifully framed, asserting your
club membership. These were hung in offices with pride and were real
status symbols.

Continental Airlines -- In the
'60s and '70s, the legendary chairman, Robert Six, wrote a letter to
the airline's best customers once or twice a year, a letter that often
went on for pages. It was so personal, so beautifully written, so
candid, that customers not only saved these letters as keepsakes, but
they also continued to fly Continental just to stay on the VIP mailing
list.

Braniff International -- In the
late '60s and throughout the '70s, Braniff attracted attention with
brightly colored planes, leather seats in all classes, fine dining on
bone china, and flight attendants dressed in fashionable Halston
outfits. People actually looked forward to boarding a Braniff plane --
amazing.

One for the Gipper

In 1983, the Republican Senatorial
Committee wanted to end the year with a big fund-raising push to their
top 200,000 contributors. At the time, they regularly spent 50 cents a
piece on highly personalized computer letters to their donor base.
Given their desire to top previous fund-raising efforts, I convinced
them to try something totally different for the year-end appeal: a
single but very special letter that would cost roughly $7 in the mail.
They agreed, and the end result was a one-letter appeal that raised
more net dollars (over $2 million) than their archrival, the Democratic
Senatorial Committee, raised in an entire year.

Here's what went into that $7 letter:

a) A mailing envelope made to look like
a FedEx overnight package but actually sent express mail via the U.S.
Postal Service
b) A two-page fund-raising letter with an embossed gold senatorial seal
c) An 8"x10", four-color, signed photograph of President Ronald Reagan
with a personalized message: "Stephen, thanks for all your continuing
support. Ronald Reagan"

Yes, that's right -- we had 200,000
signed photographs, with a handwritten note to each recipient.
President Reagan was otherwise engaged, so the task fell to a group of
women at a mail production company in Massachusetts who earned extra
money for the job. They were each given a sample of the president's
handwriting to copy and executed a very credible facsimile.

What could be more exciting to the
Party faithful than to receive a personally signed photograph from the
President? They loved the attention and the response rate to this
package was over 40 percent, as opposed to a typical response rate of 5
to 10 percent.

Don't Leave Home Without It

Karl Malden served as the public face
of American Express Travelers Cheques for twenty-five years -- an
amazing run for any spokesperson. His Travelers Cheques television ads
were a perfect combination of excitement, news, and a compelling call
to action. First you would see a thief stealing money from some poor
unsuspecting tourist's wallet or beach bag or hotel room. Then Karl
would arrive on the scene looking like the cop he played in the famous
television series Streets of San Francisco. He would look you
in the television eye and say, "This could happen to you!" And then the
call to action: "Don't let a thief spoil your vacation. Get American
Express Travelers Cheques." Little wonder American Express became the
leader in this category with 75 percent market share.

Mean Joe Greene

Sometimes simple visuals can create
excitement on their own. Coca-Cola came up with an ad juxtaposing a
sweet 10-year-old fan with the very large and, on the field purportedly
very mean, Joe Greene, defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tired after a long game, and with an
intimidating scowl on his face, Joe approaches the small boy who holds
a large bottle of Coke in his little hand. Joe peers down at the boy
who, ignoring the scowl, looks up admiringly. A true fan, he offers Joe
his Coke. Joe hesitates for a second, then takes the bottle and guzzles
it down in one complete, thirst-quenching act. He hands the bottle back
and says with a slow smile, "Thanks, kid." The essence of "Have a Coke
and a Smile."

Mr. Whipple

Toilet paper is just not exciting. Yet
Charmin managed to create a quirky character plagued by supermarket
customers who was instantly memorable.

Pity poor Mr. Whipple, guardian of the
Charmin display, who worked so hard to keep the product at its peak.
Your attention was grabbed and you watched intently as Mr. Whipple
caught the next culprit who squeezed the Charmin.

Mr. Whipple made Charmin seem so soft
and enticingly squeezable, you felt as if you had to try some yourself.
In the privacy of your own home, without being stalked by Mr. Whipple.
Great call to action. A top-rate example of making one product stand
out in its category.

Peter Lynch, Lily Tomlin, and Don
Rickles

As an industry, financial services
relies on the same old stereotypical images year after year in its
advertising. We all want financial information and financial security
for our families, but we are bored with the lame attempts to gain our
attention.

Financial services also suffers from
being a low-interest category. If you can't eat it, wear it, drive it,
apply it, or play with it, it is of low interest. You never actually
see or touch most forms of money and that cash in your pocket really
has no character or emotional bond.

If you want further proof of how tough
it is to wow consumers with financial services advertising, consider
that no financial services company has ever made it into the Advertising
Age Top 50 Ad Campaigns of All Time list.

As Fidelity Investments head of retail
marketing in the late '90s, I was determined to walk away from the
usual nondescript industry ad approach and inject large doses of
personality into a campaign that would really shake up the business.

Anyone with a dime in the stock market
knows who Peter Lynch is. And Peter has always been a major advocate of
consumers understanding how to invest wisely. So early in my days at
Fidelity, I decided Peter would be the perfect spokesperson for a new
campaign. He had never been in any form of advertising before. And
Fidelity had never considered using a real person to promote their
brand.

But I didn't want Peter to be just
another talking head, although there are plenty of creative ways to
make one person a powerful spokesman. I decided to go into uncharted
territory. Take a serious subject, money management, and create a
campaign that would be as entertaining as it would be informative on
issues like retirement, portfolio management, and the value of
long-term investing.

Enter two terrific actors, both
world-class entertainers, Lily Tomlin and Don Rickles, whom I paired
one-on-one with Peter in a series of TV spots in 1998 and 1999.

The net effect was immediate. Employees
loved this breakthrough approach. They were thrilled that Peter had
"gone public" to represent the company and that he had two fascinating
personalities to interact with. And of course customers and potential
customers loved these ads as well. They were just so different. They
were even fun to watch and listen to. People responded in huge numbers
on the phone and online every time one of these ads ran.